


'Til Sleep Comes Around

by a_slightly_cracked_egg



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: 5 + 1, but like it's not graphic, cathy is tired and needs to go to sleep, jane is concerned, some blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22142962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_slightly_cracked_egg/pseuds/a_slightly_cracked_egg
Summary: The 5 times Jane Seymour helped Catherine Parr after falling asleep in strange places/positions + the 1 time Cath returned the favour
Relationships: Catherine Parr & Jane Seymour
Comments: 2
Kudos: 88





	'Til Sleep Comes Around

1.

“Ladies, you’re on in 30!” Their stage manager’s voice sounded through Jane’s in-ear. “Please be downstairs in 5!” Jane sighed, finished up her eyeliner, then shoved her makeup back into her bag. She closed her eyes, breathing in and out deeply to prepare herself mentally for the show. After a few minutes of this, she grabbed her water bottle and headed downstairs as their stage manager had instructed.

It was the end of the week. Everyone was exhausted, especially as today was a two-show day. The last show of the week was always fun, as it was usually when they put the most feeling into it, but everyone became somewhat irritable. Catherine’s temper was shorter than usual, and she and Anne would argue over the tiniest things. Anne herself had less and less impulse control and would say or do whatever was on her mind. Jane could feel herself become more snippy and nit-picky. Anna became louder while Kat became quieter. Cath would just disappear entirely. But they did what they could to remain civil and professional (for the most part).

Jane reached the bottom of the stairs to find Anna and Catherine already there, getting their mics checked. Jane took her mic from its sleeve that kept it attached to the wall, and also began to run through mic checks with the sound crew. A few minutes later, Anne came flying down the stairs, almost falling and breaking her neck. Kat followed a few seconds later, although her descent was much more controlled. Jane finished up with sound just as their stage manager gave their twenty-minute call. After Anne and Kat had finished with the sound crew as well, the five of them stood in the wings. It wasn’t until then that Jane noticed something off. 

“Where’s Cath?” She glanced around anxiously. “She’s supposed to be here.” Anne shrugged, and Catherine pointed upstairs.

“Check her dressing room.” She suggested, “She probably just forgot to put her in-ears in or got distracted by a book or something.” Jane nodded, slipping her mic back into its sleeve before heading back upstairs towards Cath’s dressing room. When she reached the door, she knocked hesitantly.

“Cath? You in there, love?” Catherine didn’t answer, and Jane’s worry intensified as their stage manager announced their fifteen-minute call. “Cath, I’m coming in if that’s alright.” Jane opened the door, slipping inside the dressing room. What she found was Catherine Parr, book still open, slumped limply forward with her forehead pressed to the pages, dead asleep. 

“Oh, Cath.” Jane smiled fondly but couldn’t afford to waste any time. She quickly crossed the room to Catherine’s side and gently shook her shoulder. “Cath, it’s time to wake up. We’ve got to go on in fifteen.” Catherine didn’t stir. “Hey, love, I know you’re tired, but we really need you right now.” Jane shook her a little harder. Cath jolted awake, peeling her forehead from the pages she had been laying on. She sat up fully, blinking slowly, then blearily rubbed her eyes.

“Jane?” Her voice was hoarse with sleep. “What’s going on? Why are you in my dressing room?” Jane smiled, but a sense of urgency prevented her from spending too much time dwelling on how adorable Cath looked.

“Thirty-minute call was ages ago, darling.” Jane tugged her hand, “You overslept.” Cath frowned, pressing her fingers to her temples.

“Thirty-minute call…” Her brows furrowed in confusion. Then her eyes flew open, and she stood up abruptly. “Shit, it’s a two-show day!” Jane almost laughed at the alarmed expression on Cath’s face.

“Yes, love, it’s a two-show day.”

“Shit, how did I forget?” Catherine pulled on her boots and adjusted her costume, grabbing her in-ears from the counter. Fortunately, her hair and makeup from the previous show were still intact.

“I don’t think you forgot, so much as fell asleep.” Jane did laugh that time, before taking Cath’s hand and pulling her out the door. “In all seriousness, though, you can’t keep staying up all night every night. You might actually miss the show next time.” They reached the top of the stairwell just as their stage manager called five minutes.

“No I won’t, you’ll just wake me up again.” Cath winked, although it was hard to take her seriously as she still looked rather frazzled. They both sprinted down the stairs, reaching the other queens just in time for Cath to get her mic check done. As soon as they finished, the house lights began to dim. Cath turned to Jane, squeezing her hand and smiling genuinely.

“Thank you for waking me up.”

2.

Jane sighed contentedly as she pulled a book off the shelf, opening the front cover to read the summary. The library was surprisingly busy, but not unpleasantly so. It was a beautiful day outside, so of course Katherine had begged to go on a walk, and (per usual) they had eventually ended up here, at the public library. Cath had joined them as well, eager to pick up more books and turn in the ones she had already checked out.

The book Jane had picked out was short, less than an inch in width, but the summary was intriguing, so she slipped it inside her bag, along with three other books that had already piqued her interest. She checked the time. It was still early, but they had been at the library for over an hour, and as much as Jane was enjoying herself, she also knew that they should probably go home so they would have plenty of time to prepare for the show.

She sighed, making her way calmly through the aisles, enjoying the ever-present book smell.

She quickly found Katherine bouncing around in the fantasy and sci-fi section, several books already clutched in her arms. Jane smiled at the young girl.  
“Katherine, love, it’s time to go.” She whispered so as to not disturb anyone around them. Katherine nodded, then raised her small pile of books questioningly. Jane pointed towards the checkout counter. “You can check your books out and wait for me there. I’m going to go find Cath.” Katherine smiled happily and made her way over to the counter in question. Jane watched her fondly for a moment before turning back around and frowning. Now where would Cath be?

Her first instinct was to check the non-fiction section, but a quick glance proved this option unlikely. She moved past the realistic fiction and poetry rows, peering down each aisle for any sign of Parr, to no avail. Then she caught sight of the historical section. Jane snorted quietly. 

Of course Cath would be there.

She made her way down the aisles, checking each one by one. She turned down the final row, and laughed, perhaps a tad too loudly for the environment she was in. Cath was sitting on the floor, a book open in her lap, and a stack of volumes piled next to her, head bowed forward in sleep.

“Hey,” Jane knelt beside her, shaking her shoulder lightly. Cath jolted awake.

“What?” She murmured, clearly disoriented. Jane chuckled quietly.

“You fell asleep. At a library.” She said pointedly. Catherine shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.

“I…I did what?”

“You fell asleep.” Jane gestured around her towards the bookshelves. “At a library.” She grinned humorously. Cath groaned.

“Ugh, no wonder my neck hurts.” She rolled her head from side to side in an attempt to alleviate the tension. Jane pointed to the rather large stack of books next to her.

“Do you want to check any of those out?” Catherine blinked, then scanned the stack, running a finger down the spines of each one. She eventually pulled out a thin red book and an aged, dark green one, setting them aside along with the one she had been reading. Jane helped her return all the other ones back to their proper positions on the shelves, before grabbing the three books that remained. Jane paused for a moment as Cath gathered her things and shoved them back in her bag. Once she was finished, Jane couldn’t help but smile teasingly.

“Did you have a nice nap?” She taunted. Cath scoffed and rolled her eyes, but smiled good-naturedly.

“Oh, piss off.”

3.

Jane wanted one day. ONE DAY.

She wanted 24 hours of a calm, quiet household.

What she got instead was a screaming Anne, a crying Katherine, and a bleeding Parr.

The three of them had been playing outside, tossing a small crabapple around haphazardly. Jane had been in the kitchen at the time, washing the dishes. Everything had been fine until a loud crack resounded, and Anne screamed. Startled, Jane had quickly set down the plate she had been drying and rushed to the front door. Before she could open it, Anne burst through, screaming at the top of her lungs something about the asymmetry of the shape of a crabapple. Kat followed behind her, eyes wide with horror as if she had just seen a ghost, tears of panic already streaking down her cheeks. Behind her was a dazed Cath, her hand cupped to her face in such a way that did absolutely nothing to staunch the flow of blood that was dripping between her fingers and down the back of her hand. Jane reached forward, gently pulling Cath’s hand away to reveal a cut that intersected her eyebrow and arched down by her eye.

“What did you do?” Jane couldn’t contain her frustration. Anne continued to yell nonsensical strings of words while Kat continued to silently cry. Jane led Cath to a nearby chair, handing her a napkin to try and stop the bleeding. After several more sentences of Anne’s screaming, Jane waved her hands frantically. “I can’t understand you, start from the beginning!” She yelled loud enough to get Anne’s attention. Anne nodded.

“Right, sorry.” She cleared her throat. “So me and Kitty and Cath were playing around with the crabapple, and Cath throws it to me, so I throw it to Kitty, who throws it back to me, so naturally I throw it back to Cath, but then I threw it a little to far and…well she was asleep so its not entirely my fault,” Anne says it all in one breath, and by the end of it Jane is so bewildered, she doesn’t even know where to start. In the end, she decided to get up and grab the first aid kit, formulating in her head her response. Once she returns, Kat had stopped crying, and Anne looked increasingly anxious. Cath just stared off into space. Jane took a deep breath.

“First, I want all three of you to know that this is going to be completely fine, and I doubt that any long term damage has been caused. Second,” Jane turned to Anne, “I hope you recognize that at this point, I’m more disappointed in your carelessness and your inability to throw than I am your responsibility.” Anne bowed her head and had the decency to look ashamed. Jane waved her hand, a clear indication that she was finished with them, and Anne grabbed Kat and lead her upstairs. “Third,” Jane turned to Cath, “I’m more disappointed in you.” Cath looked up at her forlornly, napkin still pressed to her brow.

“Whatever for?” She frowned.

“You fell asleep? While standing?” Jane said exasperatedly, “Cath, you know I love you and support your love for your studies, but this is getting out of hand. I’m afraid you’re going to hurt yourself. You HAVE hurt yourself!" 

"Yeah, but this is only because I was almost done with my book last night. I had to finish it before I slept!” Cath protested.

“Yeah,” Jane raised her eyebrows, “And did you sleep at all?” Catherine lowered her head.

“No.” She said quietly. Jane sighed.

“I’m not mad at you.” She rubbed her temples, “I’m really not. But I just…you were standing up. How did you fall asleep?” Cath opened her mouth to respond, but Jane waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t want an answer to that. I just…what if something happens? Something worse than this? What if you fall asleep while cooking? While onstage? While driving?” Cath shifted uncomfortably.

“It won’t come to that.” She insisted quietly.

“But it already has!” Jane protested, “I mean, falling asleep while standing up? Come on, Cath. Surely you can recognize that as a red flag?” She caught Cath’s hesitant expression and softened. “I’m not asking you to fix it right away. I just want you to try. Can you do that?” Cath chewed her lip.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do my best.” Jane sighed.

“Thank you.” Then she gently peeled the napkin off of Cath’s forehead and unzipped the first aid kit. “Now, let’s see what we can do about this.”

4.

Jane was always the first one awake. On weekdays or weekends, she made a point to get out of bed as soon as she woke up, usually heading downstairs and managing to be generally productive in the thirty or so minutes it took for the next person in the house to wake up.

Today was no exception. Jane woke up to a quiet house (something which seemed to be harder and harder to come by these days). She carefully slipped out of bed, getting dressed in comfortable clothes before heading downstairs to begin her morning routine. She was on her way to fold the laundry she had just pulled out of the dryer when she caught sight of a familiar slumped for.

“Goddammit, Cath,” Jane muttered under her breath. The girl in question was draped rather unceremoniously over the edge of the table, her face pressed to the pages of her notebook. The pen she undoubtedly had been writing with was still uncapped, and some of the ink had been smeared on both the open pages of the journal and Catherine’s face. Jane couldn’t stop a small smile from spreading on her face at the sight, despite her displeasure with the other girl’s sleeping habits.

She debated with herself for a couple of moments whether or not to wake Cath up, but eventually decided against it. Instead, she pulled the notebook out from underneath her, closed it, then slipped the pen out of her hand and capped it, setting both objects aside. Then she half dragged, half carried Cath to the couch, laying her down gently and throwing a blanket over her. She took a few steps back with the intent of returning to her original task, but after a moment of confliction, she plopped down on the couch next to Cath and rubbed her face with her hands.

“Cath you really need to stop this.” She groaned quietly, watching the other girl’s chest gradually rise and fall with each breath. “You promised you’d try. I really need to see you at least make an effort.” Cath didn’t stir. Jane sighed. She focused again on Catherine. She studied her face, so serene, yet so worn down. Even while sleeping, she still managed to look tired. There were dark circles under her eyes, and deep worry lines etched between her eyebrows. A red mark adorned her cheek from being pressed against the edge of her notebook, while the smear of ink from the uncapped pen marred the other. Jane blew air through her teeth, rubbing her face once more. “Jesus, this is insane.” She got up, then adjusted the blanket over Cath, kissing her forehead gently. She smiled sadly. “Sleep well, love.”

5.

The house was quiet for once.

Anne and Kat had all gone out to the park, no doubt to walk around and cause all kinds of mischief.

Catherine had left as well, muttering something about needing to grab something she had left at the theatre.

Anna was currently in her room.

Cath was in the kitchen, making tea.

And Jane was sitting in an armchair, reading one of the books she had checked out from the library last week. She was enjoying the calm immensely, especially with the knowledge that it likely would be disrupted as soon as Anne and Kat got home. In the meantime, she intended on reading her book and soaking up the quiet atmosphere.

Her head shot up when she heard a yelp from the other room and a loud thunk, followed by a quiet stream of extremely vulgar curse words. Alarmed, Jane poked her head into the kitchen.

She found Cath crouched in a squatting position, cradling her hand to her chest, eyes squeezed shut tightly in pain. On the counter, there was a half-full cup of tea, a tea kettle, and a large puddle of water. She quickly knelt next to Cath, taking her hand gently to inspect the damage.

“What happened, love?” Jane asked, even though she already suspected the answer. She wanted Cath to say it aloud. Cath hissed in pain.

“I was making tea,” She winced as Jane probed the reddening skin. “And I spilled the boiling water on my hand.” Jane grabbed a dish towel and ran it under some cold water, before returning to Cath’s side and gently pressing it to the burn developing on the back of her hand.

“How did you spill the water?” She asked, feigning curiosity. Cath sighed, wincing again.

“I dunno,” She mumbled under her breath. “I just wasn’t paying attention, I guess.” Jane raised her eyebrows.

“Are you sure?” She pressed. Cath lowered her head, staring at the floor uncomfortably, nodding. “Is that all?” Cath nodded again, refusing to meet her gaze. “Did you fall asleep?” Jane asked quietly. Cath looked up at her anxiously, tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” She choked out hoarsely, “I didn’t mean to, I tried, I really did try–” She let out a strangled sob, covering her mouth with her good hand. Jane quickly pulled her into a hug.

“Oh, love.” She soothed, rubbing Cath’s back gently, “It’s alright, it’s not your fault. Don’t feel bad.” Cath clung to Jane’s shirt desperately, still trying to swallow her sobs. Jane continued to whisper words of affirmation into her ear, gently running her fingers through Cath’s hair. “Just breathe love. We can sort this out later. For now, just breathe.” Cath took deep, gasping breaths, chest heaving in an attempt to regain control of her emotions. Eventually, she pulled away, rubbing at the wet mark her tears had left on Jane’s shirt.

“S-sorry.” She said shakily, sniffing and rubbing at her eyes. Jane smiled sadly.

“It’s alright.” She continued to rub Cath’s back until she had calmed down completely. She gently removed the dish towel to check on the burn, brow furrowing slightly when she saw it was already beginning to blister. “Here, love, let’s get this taken care of.” She helped Cath up, leading her to the sink and running her hand under cool water. Cath bit her lip hard but didn’t say anything. Jane went to the cabinet, grabbing aloe vera and some gauze before returning to where Cath was standing. She shut the water off and gently dried off Cath’s hand, then applied the aloe vera, covering it with gauze. After she was finished, she looked up at Cath again, who, in turn, continued to stare at the ground.

“I know you’re trying.” Jane started. “I never wanted to make you feel like you weren’t trying hard enough.” She lifted Cath’s chin, forcing the other queen to look her directly in the eyes. “I never wanted you to feel like you were failing me. You have to know that.” Cath nodded.

“I’m sorry.” She croaked. Jane shook her head.

“I’ve told you, you don’t have to be sorry.” She pulled Cath into another hug. “Let’s just figure out a way to fix this, so I don’t have to worry about you so much.” She smiled wryly. Cath pulled away, rubbing the back of her hand and wincing.

“I don’t think its…” She paused, thinking about what she wanted to say first before continued to explain herself. “I don’t think the issue is not wanting to go to sleep so much as it’s not remembering. Like, I’ll check the clock, and it’ll be 11:30, so I’ll read a few more pages of my book, and then the next thing I know the book is finished and it’s 2 in the morning.” She shrugged uncomfortably, looking at Jane sheepishly.

“Well, you don’t have to sleep at night,” Jane remarked thoughtfully. Cath looked at her in confusion.

“What do you mean?” She asked, bewildered. Jane chuckled lightly at the expression on Cath’s face before continuing.

“I mean, if you get distracted at night, then sleep during the day.” She spread her hands in an explicatory manner. “Take naps. When you feel tired, listen to your body. Find a bed, a couch, a chair, wherever. Somewhere comfortable. Then you can sleep without accidentally killing yourself.” Cath thought about it for a moment, before her eyebrows knitted together.

“But what if I forget during the day?” She asked in a small voice.

“Well, that’s what I’m here for, innit love?” Jane smiled, warmly at her. Cath nodded hesitantly before laughing.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

+1.

The past few weeks had been both physically and mentally draining for Jane. As their show was gaining popularity, their audiences were getting larger and rowdier. It was taking a toll on all of them. She was spending more and more nights up, comforting Kat, or Anne, or both, after nightmares. And now with Cath’s screwed up sleep schedule, she was also spending more time checking up on her, making sure she slept for at least a few hours during the day.

Jane was exhausted, to say the least. 

She knew it was beginning to show. Her performances were starting to suffer, which was that last thing they needed right now.

She sighed and looked up from the laundry she was folding. Cath was currently asleep in the armchair across from her, curled up and wrapped in a blanket. She smiled tiredly, proud of her success in getting Cath to sleep. She yawning widely, she turned back to the pile of clean laundry in front of her. A small spike of resentment flashed through her. 

Why was Jane the one doing the laundry? She needed to sleep too. 

Immediately Jane looked back up at Cath and felt guilty. She pushed the feeling deep down. There was absolutely no reason for her to be jealous of Cath. Nevertheless, she studied the other queen intently for a few more moments before returning to her task.

Jane felt the exhaustion take over ten minutes later when she couldn’t quite figure out how to fold a shirt. Her hands felt slightly alienated, and her head was foggy. In her stupor, a thought emerged in her head. 

Is this what Cath feels like all the time?

She nearly laughed, even though there was little humour in it. She resisted the urge to lay back against the back of the couch and let sleep take over her, instead shaking her head in an attempt to wake herself up. She had to finish the laundry first. Then she could sleep. She leaned forward, only to find hands pushing her back. She looked up to see a groggy Cath leaning over her, gently easing her sideways, so she was lying down. She pulled the blanket off her shoulders and draped it over Jane, before sitting by her head and smoothing down her hair. Jane tried to sit back up and protest, but Cath immediately shushed her.

“You need to sleep.” She smiled down at Jane, voice soft and soothing. “You don’t need to run yourself to the ground in order to get everything done. Let us take some of the weight.” Jane tried to stay awake to protest but ultimately decided to let herself relax. The laundry could wait. Cath smiled warmly. “That’s it, love. Take care of yourself.” Jane felt Cath press a kiss to her forehead as she drifted off to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, Jane.”


End file.
